The present invention relates to a method of steering a vehicle using a steering assistance system.
The following discussion of related art is provided to assist the reader in understanding the advantages of the invention, and is not to be construed as an admission that this related art is prior art to this invention.
Various driver assist systems have been developed to simplify operation for the driver of a motor vehicle. An example includes a lane keep assistance which has a surround sensor, for example a video camera, and prevents an inadvertent crossing of a relevant lane marking that has been recognized by the sensor. The lane keep assistant provides hereby a steering-wheel torque in addition to the hand torque generated by the driver. As an alternative, or in addition, the driver is alerted before crossing the recognized lane marking by a warning signal which may be a visual, audible, or haptic warning signal.
Performance of conventional lane keep assistants is limited by the sensors so that conventional lane keep assistants, which are permanently active and enable automatic transverse guidance, have been found inadequate for useful application. In addition, concerns have been raised that a permanent automatic lane guidance could cause the driver to pay less attention to the surroundings and could distract the driver. As a result, the time for interventions by the driver would be prolonged in the event the driver has to execute a steering motion that is not detected by the lane keep assistant. Therefore, “Hands-On” solutions have been proposed which generate only a steering-wheel torque on the steering wheel so as to ensure the attentiveness of the driver with respect to the travel situation and events that happen in the surroundings.
It would be desirable and advantageous to provide an improved method of steering a vehicle by a steering assistance system to obviate prior art shortcomings.